Amid Ayodhya Ram Temple donation row, BKTC orders enquiry into alleged Badrinath offering irregularities

The Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has ordered a formal enquiry into allegations of irregularities in offerings made at Shri Badrinath Dham, after claims circulated widely on social media.

The temple committee said it has constituted an enquiry panel to examine the allegations and has issued notices to employees named in the claims, seeking their responses. BKTC President Hemant Dwivedi said strict action would follow if any wrongdoing is established.

Advertisement

BKTC forms enquiry panel, issues notices to employees

Dwivedi said the committee has taken the allegations seriously and is committed to conducting a fair and transparent investigation.

“Allegations of manipulation regarding the offerings at the Shri Badrinath Temple are being made. The temple committee has taken this matter very seriously. A committee has been constituted to conduct a fair and fact-based enquiry into the entire episode. Notices have been issued to the employees facing these allegations, asking them to provide an explanation. If any employee is found guilty after the investigation concludes, the strictest possible action will be taken against them,” he said.

BKTC chief rejects ‘personal secretary’ claim

Dwivedi also dismissed social media posts that described one of the employees named in the allegations as his personal secretary.

“I wish to bring to everyone’s notice that the person being described as my personal secretary is not one; I do not have a personal secretary. Such claims are completely misleading. The employee in question is a regular staff member of the committee who has worked with the last three chairpersons during their tenures,” he said.

Appeal against spreading unverified information

Appealing to devotees, Dwivedi said Shri Badrinath Dham and Shri Kedarnath Dham are among the country’s most revered pilgrimage sites and urged people not to circulate unverified claims on social media.

He said the enquiry would determine whether the allegations regarding the temple offerings have any factual basis or are merely rumours. The committee, he added, is committed to ensuring an impartial investigation and taking appropriate action based on its findings.

As background, the allegations surfaced amid public attention over a separate controversy involving alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The BKTC, however, has announced an independent enquiry into the claims concerning Shri Badrinath Dham.